As seasoned ticket holders to MCC’s relatively new location on West 52 between Tenth and Eleventh Avenues, we always look for restaurants to sample before theatre.
We decided to try Sesamo, an ideally located restaurant on Tenth and 52, before heading to see Hansol Jung’s “Wolf Play,” about a South Korean boy being re-homed with new LBGTQ parents. A puppet represents the boy on stage.
Sesamo is the Asian-Italian eatery I recently sampled as their guest and so enjoyed. We started with their $32 bottomless brunch. I tried their bloody Mary, my dining partner their red sangria.
I’d recommend their chef’s selection of crispy (6) dumplings filled with garam masala seasoned duck ragu filling on a bed of lemony-dressed arugula ($14).
My dining partner selected their scallion omelet bar ($14) with spinach (+$2), toast and roasted potatoes. We also shared their Parmesan fries.
I had their Tsien Sien Chili Shakshuka enjoying the poached eggs in a spicy tomato sauce. Its nice kick came from the “tsien sien chili,” a pepper with Scoville 50,000 to 75,000 heat units. That’s hot! A jalapeñoas only 8000 to 10,000. The dish came with paneer cheese and toast.
I recommend a visit, especially before or after an MCC production.
Sesamo
Hells Kitchen
764 Tenth Ave
New York, NY 10019
(212) 265-2755
Sesamorestaurant.com
Sesamo. We dined here before Wolf Play a few weeks ago and I had a very different experience. It was a really chilly evening and the host first tried to put us at the bar near the front door (the restaurant was empty), I asked for a table because it was chilly, and they reseated us at a table beside the front door. Eventually, they put us at a table two spots from the door and I kept quiet. The squash appetizer had an extreme amount of cheese and it sat upon a little lake of cold seasoned water. I ate two bites. For an entree, I ordered the MUSHROOM TORTELLONI, which consisted of 4 large tortelloni in an ocean of heavy, creamed sauce. I finished one.
Almost after every bite, the waitress returned to the table to try to remove something.
I hate giving a bad review and I want every restaurant to succeed. The owner was absolutely lovely and I’d like to see her do well. Maybe my palette isn’t ready for asian/Italian cuisine.